Eminem’s half-brother, Nathan ‘Nate Kane’ Mathers, has mixed feelings after the death of their mother, Debbie Nelson – ‘Hatred and mixed emotions today,’ he wrote on his Instagram Story
Eminem’s half-brother, Nathan “Nate Kane” Mathers, has mixed feelings after the death of their mum, Debbie Nelson. As per People magazine, Nelson died at age 69 in the evening on December 2, from complications related to lung cancer.
Debbie Nelson, mother of rap star Eminem, in Michigan in 2001. Photo: AP
“Hatred and mixed emotions today,” Nate, 38, wrote on his Instagram Story on Tuesday, per the New York Post.
Both brothers had been estranged from their mother over the years.
Nathan Mathers in Austin, Texas, in October. Photo: @nathankanemathers/Instagram
Eminem and Nate, however, appear to be close. Here’s what we know about Eminem’s half-sibling.
Nathan Mathers’ background
Nathan Mathers in July. Photo: @nathankanemathers/Instagram
Eminem was 13 when his mother had her second son, Nathan, with then-boyfriend Fred Samra, per the New York Post.
People magazine adds that Nathan was taken into foster care, before Eminem successfully gained legal custody of his sibling. “I watched him when he was in the foster home. He was so confused. I mean, I cried just going to see him at the foster home,” Eminem told Rolling Stone in 2004.
“The day he was taken away, I was the only one allowed to see him. They had come and got him out of school. He didn’t know what the f*** was going on. The same thing that had happened in my life was happening in his.” Eminem said he stepped up so he could try and give his brother a better life. “It was like, ‘Man, if I get in position, I’m gonna stop all this s***.’ And I got in position and did.”
What does Nathan Mathers do for work?
Nathan Mathers at New York’s Times Square in May 2022. Photo: @nathankanemathers/Instagram
Nathan followed in his brother’s musical footsteps. As reported by The Independent, he released music under the stage name Nate Kane and has appeared in a number of his brother’s music videos, including “Without Me” and “Sing for the Moment”.
Nathan Mathers and Usher in February. Photo: @nathankanemathers/Instagram
“I had learned from your dad, my brother, how to do music and how to write formulas, compound syllables, whatnot, and tested it out in the beginning,” he shared in February 2023 on his niece Hailie Jade’s podcast, Just a Little Shady. “From there, I started looking around for beats and whatnot and got comfortable enough with my voice and writing skills that I started recording and getting a feel for songs, how I would deliver them and how that would formulate to where people would enjoy it.”
Nathan Mathers with his wife Ashley Mae in May 2019. Photo: @nathankanemathers/Instagram
The music producer has been married to Ashley Mae Mathers since May 2018.
Ashley and Nathan had known each other for years before getting together. In a May 2022 Instagram post, Ashley shared that the pair have been best friends for two decades. “In my favourite place with my favourite guy celebrating my favourite number,” she wrote. “Four. Four years married to you. It sounds so minimal compared to the 20 years you’ve been my best friend.”
How many kids does Nathan Mathers have?
The couple are proud parents to three children: daughter Audrianna and sons Liam and Carter, per People magazine.
Nathan regularly shares family photos on Instagram.
Is Nathan Mathers close with Eminem?
Nathan Mathers with his niece, and Eminem’s daughter, Hailie Jade Mathers. Photo: @nathankanemathers/Instagram
Although both brothers are quite private, Nathan has talked about how he looks up to his older sibling. “[Eminem] was the best role model I could have had to help me be the dad that I am today,” he said on Just a Little Shady.
He’s also particularly close with Eminem’s daughter, Hailie Jade. “I always think that we are closer in age than you are to Dad,” she said on the podcast. “But still, I never realise how much older you are than me because I feel like you are like a brother.”
